Interview with Chuck Westfall. 1D MKIII Comments

So is it better at autofocus than the 1D Mark II N (the camera's predecessor)?
Westfall: Overall, yes. The system has a lot more to it. There are improvements to the Mark III's autofocus sensor, with 19 cross-type focusing points throughout the frame compared to 7 in the center for the 1D Mark II N. This is an area Rob Galbraith's tests did not address. And there are a lot more customization settings to be able to tweak autofocus accuracy according to the way you shoot--focus priority versus release priority for example.
That said, we are continuing to investigate. We're not disputing anything Rob wrote--he's made a fair and objective test. We have no argument except that the 1D Mark III is a lot closer (to the 1D Mark II N's autofocus performance) in overall performance than his severe tests indicate at first glance and that he doesn't test the full range of conditions. There's more to it.

There is an interview with Chuck Westfall posted over on cnet. An interesting read.

Above is an excerpt regarding the 1D MKIII autofocus issues.

[Ronald Garrett]

Interesting, Westfall infers Sony is Canon's major competitor.

[ChuckWestfall]

...in the compact digital camera market.

[Ronald Garrett]

Thank you for the clarification.

[Johan_Elzenga]

I'm unpleasantly surprised about this interview. If Chuck is right, Canon is more focused on what the competitors are doing than on what their customers want.

[RN_Blau]

Still, nothing in that interview addresses the latest of Rob's comments. Namely, that Canon reps have told some customers that some change, which may be hardware, is coming. Did I miss something? If hardware, would there be a retroactive fix? Does one wait to buy the D1 III?

[KevinStecyk]

Originally Posted by Johan_Elzenga

I'm unpleasantly surprised about this interview. If Chuck is right, Canon is more focused on what the competitors are doing than on what their customers want.

Not sure how that giant leap was made. Chuck was simply responding the interviewer's questions. He did talk about GPS and battery initiatives. Perhaps had the interviewer asked him more about his customers and less about the competition, you'd have gotten a different impression. But as it was, Chuck was just being polite and responding to the questions thrown in his direction. He could have been more political and simply said, "While we acknowledge competition in our industry, our policy is not to discuss other companies and their products. I am here to discuss and promote Canon and our products. Next question please."